The first day of his visit, Wednesday, 6 March, will be very busy and full of events for the Rector Major, who immediately after his arrival at the Dario Guarita airport in Araçatuba will give a press conference to journalists and media operators concerned. Subsequently, he will reach the facilities of the UniSALESIANO campus and take part in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Salesian presence in Araçatuba, a date that marks not only a milestone in the city's history, but also a testimony to the constant commitment of the Salesians in education, moral formation and support for young people. Finally, in the afternoon he will preside at the Mass in the university church of Mary Help of Christians on the UniSALESIANO campus, and on the sidelines of the celebration he will also receive the honorary citizenship of Araçatuba – a tribute voted and approved unanimously by the City Council at its session on 19 February.
On Thursday, March 7 , Card. Fernández Artime will visit the educational community of the Dom Luiz Lasagna Salesian Institute and then will reach Campo Grande, where he will again be honoured by the State Legislative Assembly as a Citizen of Mato Grosso do Sul. In the afternoon, there will also be a meeting with Salesians and practical trainees at the São Vicente community, followed by Mass with the post-novices.
On Friday 8 March, after a new press conference in the auditorium of the Provincial Headquarters, the Rector Major will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Pablo VI work with a discussion and an open dialogue with the young people who attend it, and then with the Mass with the young people and members of the Salesian Family.
On Saturday, 9 March, there will be a change of pace: the 10th Successor of Don Bosco will reach Corumbà and, after some institutional meetings and greetings to the students and educators at the Dom Bosco state school and Salesian social work, he will embark on the Rio Paraguai, to retrace the journey made by the first missionaries for their arrival at the mission. Once at his destination, he will inopen the new sports facilities, receive the citizenship of Corumbà and preside at the Eucharist with the local Salesian Family.
The Salesian mission in Meruri will be the goal of Sunday 10th: Cardinal Fernández Artime will preside at the festive Mass in the mother church of Meruri, will receive the title of "General Carneirense Citizen" and will dedicate the afternoon to a fraternal meeting with the Salesians, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the laity and the indigenous leaders there. The Way of the Cross in memory of the martyrs and Servants of God Fr Rodolfo Lunkenbein, SDB, and Simão Bororo, will give an appropriate conclusion to a day rich in meaning.
The following day, Monday 11th, the program includes an early morning Eucharistic celebration, a walk through the Cruzeiro Historical Route and then the arrival at the São Marcos Mission where the Rector Major will share a moment of prayer with the members of the village and offer the "Salesian goodnight".
On Tuesday 12th, a Mass with Xavante songs and cultural symbols in the village of Nossa Senhora de Fátima" is scheduled, followed by the trip to the mission at Sangradouro and a meeting with the elders of the indigenous Xavante-Warã.
On Wednesday 13th, the Rector Major will arrive in Cuiabá, Capital of Mato Grosso, and will meet with primary school students and members of the various pastoral groups at the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians.
On the penultimate day of his visit, the 10th Successor of Don Bosco will still have the opportunity to meet with the students of different schools run by the Salesian Family in the area of Cuiabá; then in the afternoon he will visit the social work managed by the Salesian Mission in the Pedra 90 District, and in the evening he will celebrate Mass in São Gonçalo do Porto Parish.
The visit of the Salesian Cardinal will conclude on Friday 15 March, significantly with the opening of a Salesian Missionary Symposium that will involve Salesian guests, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, consecrated persons and lay people working in indigenous missions. The last act will be the afternoon Mass presided over by the Cardinal in the Cathedral of the Bom Jesus in Cuiabá.
The Brazil-Campo Grande Province (BCG) – also known as the Salesian Mission of Mato Grosso (MSMT), at the national level – carries out its missionary, educational and pastoral action through 21 Salesian houses located in Central-Western Brazil, in the States of Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso and in two cities in the West of São Paulo (Araçatuba and Lins). Through the work of 120 Salesians of Don Bosco and countless lay people who make up the Salesian Family, BCG Province is characterised by its educational work in educational institutions (nursery, primary, secondary and higher schools), in parishes, in social works and in indigenous missions.
For more information, visit: https://www.missaosalesiana.org.br/
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